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Greek-Scottish Homemade Taramosalata

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Stelios, our occasional Greek food expert, writes -
 

It may come as a pleasant surprise to both Greek and Scots (or to all those who live in Scotland) that one can have some taramosalata locally sourced (fish-roe, parsnips, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, oatcakes, onion and garlic) and homemade during this season.

The easier and convenient thing would have been for one to walk into one of the very convenient supermarkets and pick a ready-made taramosalata. Alternatively one could place an order for a take-away taramosalata from the Edinburgh based Greek food tavern, Spitaki.

Taramá is salted and cured carp or cod roe used to make taramosaláta, a Greek meze consisting of taramá mixed with lemon juice, bread crumbs, onions, and olive oil; it is eaten as a dip. Roe, in general, reportedly is relatively beneficial for health, as it is low in calories and high in healthful fatty acids that support the body and reduce inflammation. However, roe may be high in cholesterol or sodium. Preserved roe may be especially high in sodium and other potential added ingredients.
 

Annually, from January to early March every fishmonger in Scotland has fresh fish roe available for sale. Thus, one can opt to prepare taramosalata at home and fully control the ingredients and freshness thereof.

One would require the following ingredients:
  1. 100 grams approx. of roe (one can buy fresh fish roe from say G. Amstrong, fishmongers, Stockbridge),
  2. 300 grams approx. of parsnips (from say Sainsbury’s).
  3. 180 grams approx. of extra virgin olive oil (from Greece).
  4. The juice of at least two lemons (from Spain).
  5. No more than two to four Scottish oatcakes, to be crushed, or ground, so they are turned
    into almost powder.
  6. One small onion to be finely chopped and four cloves of garlic, also finely chopped.

Process of about 15-20 minutes for preparing the dip of taramosalata, assuming that you do not have access to a blender:

Peel off the parsnips, have them boiled until they become soft and easy to turn them into a mashed form.
Peel and chop the cloves of garlic and one onion. 
Squeeze two or three lemons and have their juice readily available.
Have some extra virgin olive oil available.
Peel off the roe and place it in a bowl. Add part of the lemon juice and some olive oil and start working all these ingredients with a fork turning them into some rough liquid paste.
Add the crushed oatcakes and then a large part of the mashed parsnips. Have all this stuff worked well into a liquid paste.
You should now add more lemon juice, olive oil, the chopped onion and garlic.
After you work well all above ingredients you may have come to produce a creamy soft paste. 

This would be your first homemade taramosalata of a Scottish-Greek fusion. For decoration on top of the paste in the bowl you may place a few olives and some leaves of parsley. You place the bowl in the fringe for a couple of hours before you place it on the table.

You may serve it by spreading it on top of oatcakes or on thin slices of some good quality bread (e.g. Cranks).

Notes:
1.   The pink colour usually associated with Greek taramosalata is not a natural colour. In the best case it could be beetroot colour, in most cases it would be edible artificial colour.
2.   The common ingredients in taramosalata made in Greece are potatoes and dried bread. In this fusion recipe we have replaced them though with local parsnips and oatcakes respectively.
3.   Also, a number of chefs whom you can watch on YouTube videos seem to opt for using vegetable oils in making taramosalata, rather than the more expensive though superior quality extra virgin olive oil. 
4.    The most effective traditional way to preserve any surplus taramosalata left, after serving it once, is to place it in the fringe, having first levelled what is within the bowl and topped it with a thin layer of olive oil. 

Enjoy your dip.
January 2021.    

 




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